Malcolm Raphael, original manager and day bartender of the 55 Bar, now known as 55 Jazz Club, at 55 Christopher St., died in Feb. 7 at a hospital near his home in Brookhaven, L.I., at the age of 80. He had been diagnosed with cancer.

Malcolm was exceptionally memorable, a Village legend in the days when bars like 55, Lions Head, Corner Bistro, The White Horse, Aschers, Paulas, Jimmy Days and George Hertzs, were known for serious drinkers, memorable patrons and bartenders, said Lee Taylor, a good friend.

The bar where Raphael presided was located between Stonewall Inn, site of the 1969 riot that sparked the gay liberation movement, and Lions Head, a watering place favored by writers and reporters.

Malcolm would put one leg over a sink with a cigarette in one hand and converse with regulars, Taylor said. One day, Paul Hoffman, a writer friend, couldnt get Malcolms attention to order his usual martini, so he went to the payphone and called his order into the bar phone, Taylor recalled.

Malcolm Raphael joined the Navy as a teenager during World War II and served until the end of the war.

His wife of 40 years, Davie Lee Raphael, and a daughter survive. A memorial service was held at the Calverton, the military cemetery on Long Island.